U.S. President Donald Trump with Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, left, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House
| Photo Credit: X/@USAmbIndia-

China probably seeks to capitalise on decreased tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), with India to stabilise bilateral relations and prevent the deepening of U.S.-India ties, according to a report by the U.S. Department of War.

In its annual report to Congress on Tuesday (December 23, 2025) on ‘Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2025’, the U.S. Department of War said that in October 2024, Indian leadership announced an agreement with China.

The agreement was to disengage from remaining standoff sites along the LAC two days before a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

Reached agreement with China on LAC patrolling, resolution of friction points: India

The Xi-Modi meeting marked the onset of monthly high-level engagements between the two countries, where parties discussed border management and next steps for the bilateral relationship, including direct flights, visa facilitation, and the exchange of academics and journalists, it said.

“China probably seeks to capitalise on decreased tension along the LAC to stabilise bilateral relations and prevent the deepening of U.S.-India ties; however, India probably remains sceptical of China’s actions and motives. Continued mutual distrust and other irritants almost certainly limit the bilateral relationship,” the report said.

It further said that China’s National Strategy is to achieve “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” by 2049.

In this vision, a rejuvenated China would have raised its “influence, appeal, and power to shape events to a new level,” and it would field a “world-class” military that can “fight and win” and “resolutely safeguard” the country’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.

China claims three “core interests,” defined as issues so central to China’s national rejuvenation that their official position is not subject to negotiation or compromise. These include the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) control, promoting China’s economic development and defending and expanding China’s sovereignty and territorial claims.

“China’s leadership has extended the term ‘core interest’ to cover Taiwan and China’s sovereignty claims amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the Senkaku Islands, and the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh,” it said.

The report said that under President Donald Trump’s leadership, relations between the U.S. and China are “stronger than they have been in many years,” and the Department of War will support efforts to build on this progress.

“We will do so in part by opening a wider range of military-to-military communications with the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) with a focus on strategic stability as well as deconfliction and de-escalation, more broadly. We will also seek other ways to make clear our peaceful intentions,” it said.

The report emphasised that U.S. interests in the Indo-Pacific are fundamental — but also scoped and reasonable.

“We do not seek to strangle, dominate, or humiliate China. Rather, as laid out in President Trump’s National Security Strategy, we seek only to deny the ability of any country in the Indo-Pacific to dominate us or our allies. That means being so strong that aggression is not even considered, and that peace is therefore preferred and preserved,” it said.

The Department of War will therefore prioritise bolstering deterrence in the Indo-Pacific through strength, not confrontation.

“President Trump seeks a stable peace, fair trade, and respectful relations with China, and the Department of War will ensure that he is able to achieve these objectives from a position of military strength. In the process, we will forge and sustain a balance of power that will enable all of us to enjoy a decent peace in an Indo-Pacific—one in which trade flows openly and fairly, we can all prosper, and all nations’ interests are respected,” it said.

Published – December 24, 2025 04:13 pm IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

To fulfil one of his major electoral agendas of providing cheap oil (‘drill baby drill’), in his inaugural speech US President Donald Trump argued for increasing the domestic production of crude oil and utilising it to spur prosperity in the US economy.

His message of promoting carbon-intensive fossil fuels is detrimental to global decarbonisation initiatives and climate change mitigation measures. 

Trump’s appeal to US oil producers to extract more oil may have significant implications for the global energy market, including Russia.

The US, being the single largest oil-producing country (it produced 19,358 thousand barrels per day in 2023 with a global share of 20.1 per cent), has substantial power to influence the global oil market.
The increase in US oil production could lead to a surge in global energy supplies, potentially driving down prices.

However, as a production cartel, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) with a global share of 35.3 per cent (in 2023) or OPEC+ (OPEC+Russia, Mexico and a few others with a global share of 54 per cent) has relatively better control over global oil production and prices.

Russian oil

Any reduction in crude oil prices in the global market is expected to have an adverse impact on the Russian economy. It is heavily reliant on oil and gas exports especially now that it is at war with Ukraine and constrained by several restrictive measures imposed by various European countries and the USA.

Lower crude oil prices could reduce Russia’s revenue from energy exports, potentially affecting its ability to fund domestic programs and military expenditures.

However, the actual impact of Trump’s announcement on Russia will depend on other factors as well.

These include the global demand for oil and alternative sources of energy, the response of other energy-producing countries (especially OPEC), the response of US domestic producers and the effectiveness of various energy sanctions on Russia.

OPEC and price stability

On the other hand, this announcement is unlikely to have any significant impact on OPEC’s oil production decisions and pricing strategies.

Historically, as a cartel, OPEC has usually adjusted its production levels to maintain crude prices and stabilise the global crude market. Thus, it is likely that OPEC members will continue to stand together and adopt appropriate measures as a response to any unilateral changes in US oil production.

According to Gordon Kaufman (a petroleum industry expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), in case there is an increase in US oil production, as a countermeasure, the OPEC members, especially Saudi Arabia (which holds a 12 per cent share in global crude extraction), may even reduce their own production to keep global prices stable.

Even Exxon, a major US oil and gas producer, does not expect an actual ramp-up of oil production by US companies in response to Trump’s policies.

Impact on India

Despite being the third-largest crude oil importer (accounting for 10.3 per cent of global crude imports in 2023), India is a price taker in the global crude market and has no control over crude prices. India’s sources of crude import are quite diversified but its import dependency for crude oil was as high as 88 per cent in 2023-24.

However, due to recent developments in global geopolitics (disturbances in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war), Russia has become a major source of crude oil imports for India, with reduced imports from Middle Eastern countries.

In 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Union imposed a price cap on crude imports from Russia. In response, Russia offered a substantial discount on its crude oil compared to global Brent crude prices, and India has taken advantage of this citing its unavoidable dependency on crude imports.

The discount on crude oil offered by Russia was as high as US$15 to US$20 per barrel (compared to spot price). In 2021-22 Russia’s position was ninth with a two percent share in India’s crude imports.

Due to huge crude imports from Russia at a discounted price, Russia’s share increased to 33 per cent in 2023-24, making it the largest import source for India followed by Iraq (21 per cent), Saudi Arabia (16 per cent), UAE (6.4 per cent) and the US (3.6 per cent). In 2023-24, crude oil imports (US$139.3 billion) accounted for 21 per cent of India’s total imports (US$ 678.2 billion).

Thus, a sizable portion of the Indian exchequer goes towards crude imports, not including imports of various petroleum products. On the other hand, the export of refined oil products is a major source of revenue earnings for India.

In 2023-24, the total import of petroleum products (other than crude imports) was worth US$ 23.3 billion (including US$ 10.5 billion of LPG) while exports amounted to US$ 47.7 billion (including US$ 22.1 billion of high-speed diesel and US$ 11.2 billion worth of motor spirit).

Trump’s pursuit of cheap oil could have both stimulating and adverse implications for the Indian economy. Any reduction in global crude prices will certainly benefit the Indian government’s exchequer and provide a higher margin to domestic oil companies in India.

However, this clear promotion of a fossil fuel-driven economic growth strategy by the US president would pose significant challenges to India and other developing countries which are most vulnerable to the threat from climate change and global warming.

Moreover, the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement under Trump 2.0 will also impact global initiatives for carbon neutrality.

India is already experiencing various adverse effects of climate change such as intensified extreme weather events and adverse impacts on its agricultural productivity and public health.

India had announced its aim of achieving a net zero emission target by 2070 in CoP26 and adopted various measures to decarbonise its economy, especially the energy sector.

The Indian economy is heavily dependent on fossil fuels. The transport sector depends significantly on imported crude oil and gas. However, the recent progress of India towards decarbonising its transport sector is impressive.

Electric vehicle (EV) sales in India increased from 1.53 million units in 2023 to 1.95 million units in 2024 which was 7.44 per cent of the total vehicles sold in 2024.

Other than EVs, increasing penetration of compressed natural gas (CNG) in the transport sector, a mandate for biofuel blending, and the introduction of hydrogen-fueled vehicles (mostly in the pilot stage) are other major steps towards decarbonisation of the transport sector in India.

The major challenge of decarbonisation through renewable energy in India is meeting large energy demands with a reliable source of energy where renewable energy is characterised by the intermittency of generation.

Moreover, the availability of critical minerals plays an important role in renewable-based energy technologies. The global market for critical minerals is very concentrated and primarily dominated by China.

Since India does not have sufficient critical minerals, its import dependency on China for critical minerals will pose a substantial challenge to its energy security.

However, as indicated in this year’s Budget, India is targeting 100GW of nuclear capacity by 2047. Unlike renewables, nuclear energy (with appropriate safety measures) as a non-fossil source can provide a reliable energy supply and ensure energy security.

Trump’s ‘drill baby drill’, therefore, is unlikely to have much of an impact on India’s energy security.

Saswata Chaudhury is Senior Fellow & Area Convenor, Energy Assessment and Modelling Division, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

The US-India partnership is critical for addressing global challenges, particularly in public health and pharmaceutical innovation, a top Indian-American White House official has said.

Dr Rahul Gupta, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), said it is important for the safety security and health of the world that the two nations maintain and accelerate their partnership in all areas.

“Because when we have a United States and an India that are looking forward together to solve the world’s problems, it is the only way we’re going to be able to solve the world’s problem because this is really where East meets the West,” said Dr Gupta, who is one of the highest-ranking Indian Americans in the outgoing Biden Administration.

“This relationship allows the two countries, but also the continents in the world, to come closer together, to understand each other, and at the end of the world solve the most pressing world’s problems together as one unit so we can inspire the next generation of countries coming up to work democratically in a way that will help this planet,” he told PTI in an interview.

In his capacity as the Drug Czar of the Biden Administration, Dr Gupta played an important role in successfully fighting the opioid crisis in the US.

He played a key role in the US arriving at an agreement with China on this issue, wherein Beijing agreed to take action against those responsible for illegally pushing synthetic drugs into the US.

Dr Gupta said with India, the US wants to create some of the most forward-leading drug policy frameworks ever established between our two countries. That cooperation has three pillars, he noted.

The first pillar is counter-narcotics cooperation.

Public health is the second priority to ensure that the advancements made in both countries are supported and shared with one another.

“We have more engagement from academia to academia, treatment providers to treatment providers, and the workforce. For example, the United States has a very shortage of public health workforce in terms of psychiatrists, medical doctors, nurses, counsellors and others,” he said.

The third pillar is developing a supply chain for pharmaceutical productions of the future, he said.

“So going at these 21st-century challenges together as two countries, two democracies that lead the world so many other things, also advancing technology and drug discovery at the same time while having integrity with integrity in the global supply chain,” he added.

Gupta said the time has come for the next phase of cooperation between India and the US.

“For instance, using artificial intelligence to conduct drug discovery, not only will it save time, and make new products much cheaper, but we’ll have more access to the global world. This is an important part, both for the United States and for India,” he said.

“India has been able to distribute its vaccine across so many countries when it comes to COVID. It’s going to be important that we follow that model when it comes to medications like not only addiction, but high blood pressure, diabetes, and so many others,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

The US-India partnership is critical for addressing global challenges, particularly in public health and pharmaceutical innovation, a top Indian-American White House official has said.

Dr Rahul Gupta, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), said it is important for the safety security and health of the world that the two nations maintain and accelerate their partnership in all areas.

“Because when we have a United States and an India that are looking forward together to solve the world’s problems, it is the only way we’re going to be able to solve the world’s problem because this is really where East meets the West,” said Dr Gupta, who is one of the highest-ranking Indian Americans in the outgoing Biden Administration.

“This relationship allows the two countries, but also the continents in the world, to come closer together, to understand each other, and at the end of the world solve the most pressing world’s problems together as one unit so we can inspire the next generation of countries coming up to work democratically in a way that will help this planet,” he told PTI in an interview.

In his capacity as the Drug Czar of the Biden Administration, Dr Gupta played an important role in successfully fighting the opioid crisis in the US.

He played a key role in the US arriving at an agreement with China on this issue, wherein Beijing agreed to take action against those responsible for illegally pushing synthetic drugs into the US.

Dr Gupta said with India, the US wants to create some of the most forward-leading drug policy frameworks ever established between our two countries. That cooperation has three pillars, he noted.

The first pillar is counter-narcotics cooperation.

Public health is the second priority to ensure that the advancements made in both countries are supported and shared with one another.

“We have more engagement from academia to academia, treatment providers to treatment providers, and the workforce. For example, the United States has a very shortage of public health workforce in terms of psychiatrists, medical doctors, nurses, counsellors and others,” he said.

The third pillar is developing a supply chain for pharmaceutical productions of the future, he said.

“So going at these 21st-century challenges together as two countries, two democracies that lead the world so many other things, also advancing technology and drug discovery at the same time while having integrity with integrity in the global supply chain,” he added.

Gupta said the time has come for the next phase of cooperation between India and the US.

“For instance, using artificial intelligence to conduct drug discovery, not only will it save time, and make new products much cheaper, but we’ll have more access to the global world. This is an important part, both for the United States and for India,” he said.

“India has been able to distribute its vaccine across so many countries when it comes to COVID. It’s going to be important that we follow that model when it comes to medications like not only addiction, but high blood pressure, diabetes, and so many others,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Amid the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, the US has urged India to “utilize” its longstanding relationship with Russia and tell President Vladimir Putin to end his “illegal war” in Ukraine.

The spokesperson of the US State Department, Matthew Miller, in a press briefing on Monday not only noted the strong Delhi-Moscow ties but also urged India to tell Putin to respect the UN Charter.

“So India has a longstanding relationship with Russia. I think that’s well-known. And we have – speaking for the United States – encouraged India to utilize that relationship with Russia, that longstanding relationship and the unique position that they have, to urge President Putin to end his illegal war and to find a just peace, a lasting peace to this conflict; to tell Vladimir Putin to respect the UN Charter, to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Mr Miller said.

He further added, “That’s what we’ll continue to impress upon the Government of India, who is an important partner of ours when it comes to their relationship with Russia.”

Mr Miller’s remarks came in response to a media query on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Russia, which the Ukrainian President termed as a devastating blow to the peace efforts.

PM Modi, who was on an official visit to Moscow recently, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin there and outlined their goals to eliminate non-tariff trade barriers and achieve a mutual trade volume of over USD 100 billion by 2030.

The two leaders also decided to continue dialogue on the liberalization of bilateral trade, including the possibility of establishing the EAEU-India Free Trade Area, according to the Leaders’ Joint Statement released following the meeting.

They also decided to work on developing a bilateral settlement system using national currencies and the consistent introduction of digital financial instruments for mutual settlements.

In Russia, PM Modi was ceremoniously presented with the Order of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, Russia’s highest civilian honour, by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Notably, the award was bestowed on PM Modi in the year 2019, but he received it physically during his visit to the nation.

During his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin there, PM Modi called peace “most important” for future generations. He said that there is no solution on the battlefield and added that peace talks do not succeed amid bombs, guns, and bullets.

“As a friend, I have always said that for the bright future of our coming generations, peace is of utmost importance. But I also know that solutions are not possible on battlegrounds. Amid bombs, guns, and bullets, solutions and peace talks do not succeed. We will have to follow the path to peace only through talks,” PM Modi had said.

It was PM Modi’s first visit to Russia since the war started between Moscow and Kyiv in 2022. India has always advocated “peace and diplomacy” for resolving conflict between India and Russia but continued to purchase Russian oil.

PM Modi said that everyone who believes in humanity is pained when there is a loss of lives. He further stated that it is “heart-wrenching” when innocent children are dying.

“Be it war, conflicts, terror attacks – everyone who believes in humanity is pained when there is loss of lives. But when innocent children are murdered, when we see innocent children dying, it is heart-wrenching. That pain is immense. I also held a detailed discussion with you over this,” he had said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is pictured in his office on November 29, 2023, in New York. U.S. authorities earlier said an Indian government official directed a plot to assassinate Pannun in New York City after he advocated for a sovereign state for Sikhs. File
| Photo Credit: AP

The United States is “regularly working” with India in its investigation into the allegations related to the plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. State Department official has said. The remarks by U.S. State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel came after The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, named a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer in connection with the alleged plot to kill Pannun on American soil last year.

India on Tuesday strongly rejected the claims, saying that the report made “unwarranted and unsubstantiated” imputations on a serious matter and that an investigation into the case was underway.

Addressing his daily news conference on Tuesday, Mr. Patel said, “We continue to expect accountability from the Government of India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committee’s work, and we are regularly working with them and enquiring for additional updates.”

“We’ll also continue to raise our concerns directly with the Indian Government at senior levels, but beyond that, I’m not going to parse into this further and will defer to the Department of Justice,” Mr. Patel said when asked about The Washington Post report, which identified the R&AW officer as Vikram Yadav and alleged that he was involved in the plot to assassinate Pannun.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday slammed the report by the U.S. daily.

“The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter,” he said in New Delhi. Mr. Jaiswal said a high-level inquiry committee set up by New Delhi to look into inputs provided by the US on the alleged plot was still probing the case.

“There is an ongoing investigation of the high-level committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the U.S. government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others,” he said.

“Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful,” Mr. Jaiswal added.

In November last year, U.S. federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Pannun.

Pannun, wanted in India on terror charges, holds dual citizenship of the U.S. and Canada. He has been designated as a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The allegations about the failed plot to kill Pannun came to the fore weeks after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia.

India had strongly rejected the charges.

On December 7, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in Parliament that India instituted an inquiry committee to look into the inputs received from the U.S. in the Pannun case as the matter has a bearing on national security.

Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is pictured in his office on November 29, 2023, in New York. U.S. authorities earlier said an Indian government official directed a plot to assassinate Pannun in New York City after he advocated for a sovereign state for Sikhs. File
| Photo Credit: AP

The U.S. expects “accountability” and is raising concerns over the Pannun case with New Delhi regularly, said the State Department, responding for the first time to the latest details reported by TheWashington Post this week. Both the White House and the State department have responded to the report, that named an Indian intelligence official for allegedly ordering the assassination of a Khalistani activist in New York in June 2023, and also claimed that U.S. authorities believe that the R&AW chief and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval were aware of the plot.

“We continue to expect accountability from the Government of India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committee’s work, and we are regularly working with them and enquiring for additional updates,” said Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the State Department, Vedant Patel, in response to a question about the Post’s article, where he didn’t deny its content. “We’ll also continue to raise our concerns directly with the Indian Government at senior levels,” he added, deferring to the U.S. Department of Justice, which has been investigating the alleged plot and filed an indictment in the case in November 2023, based on evidence including phone transcripts, photographs and the use of an undercover officer and an informant. The indictment against an Indian businessman Nikhil Gupta is expected to go to trial this summer, and is awaiting the extradition of Mr. Gupta, who denies the charges, who is in custody in the Czech Republic.

“This is a serious matter, and we’re taking that very, very seriously,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, also taking note of The Washington Post report, adding that the U.S. was going to continue to raise its concerns.

‘Speculative comments’

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also not explicitly denied the Post article, that was published on Monday, but said that it made “unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter” and that “speculative and irresponsible comments” were not “helpful”.

“There is an ongoing investigation of the high-level committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the U.S. government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The government has not so far disclosed the composition of the committee, and has not confirmed media reports that it had presented its report holding a “rogue agent” responsible for the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the Khalistani activist wanted on terror charges in India under the UAPA. India continues to maintain that it is not “government policy” to conduct such transnational killings, but that it has raised strongly with the U.S., Canada and other countries its concerns over Khalistani separatist groups that target Indian diplomats and consulates in different parts of the world.

The allegations about the aborted attempt plot to kill Pannun as well as further allegations that India’s intelligence agents also ordered the killing of Canada-based Sikh activist wanted in India, outside Toronto, were first made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressing the Canadian Parliament in September last year. India has more categorically denied those charges, that have led to a sharp downturn in India-Canada ties, and the government says that the Canadian government has not shared any evidence in the matter with it.